


Bounding Disney

by arrowsshootyouforwards



Category: Star Trek: Discovery
Genre: Disney, Disney is where the magic happens, M/M, Please do not repost to other sites, Single Parent AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-14
Updated: 2019-10-14
Packaged: 2020-12-14 19:40:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21021188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arrowsshootyouforwards/pseuds/arrowsshootyouforwards
Summary: Culmets Celebration Week: Single Parent AUPaul has been wanting to bring his daughter Tilly to Disney for years. Now he finally has the chance but he can't seem to work out this mobile check-in via the app. Luckily single father and Disney expert Hugh is there to give him a helping hand! Who knows where this will lead, after all Disney is where the magic happens...





	Bounding Disney

“This seat taken?” Paul was drawn from his phone by a smooth voice, looking up he squinted in the bright sunlight at the person before him. When he came into focus Paul was momentarily stunned, the man was gorgeous.

“No, please,” he said after a moment, slipping his phone into his shirt pocket he scanned the playground checking on his daughter.

“Thank you, I’m Hugh.” The man said extending his hand.

“Paul,” he replied, shaking the offered hand, thinking of how to extend the conversation. “So, which one’s yours?” He asked.

The man shifted his gaze to the playground, “the Tinkerbell playing with the red-haired girl over there. Yours?”

“The red-head playing with the Tinkerbell.” They reached a lull in the conversation and Paul retrieved his phone to try and finish what he had started. He and his daughter Tilly had never been to Disney in Florida before, but she was 9, quickly approaching 10 and he knew if he put it off any more years it would be more costly.

“Everything OK?” Hugh asked as Paul pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.

“Um… Not really, I can’t seem to work out the mobile check-in. The lines at the front desk are a mile long and she’s spent plenty of time standing in lines in the airport here and before we flew.”

“May I?” Paul handed over his phone and watched as the man tapped a few buttons, “alright, you’re all checked in.”

“Thank you, I take it you’ve been in my position before?”

“Once or twice. The app is easy after a bit of practise though, first time here?”

“Is it that obvious?”

“Only to a trained eye.”

“Have you guys been here many times before then?”

“You could say that, we’ve lived on the outskirts of what they consider local for a while, so we get discounts. We’ve been for a few weekends over the last couple of years, easier than driving every day,” Hugh shrugged. “Like you we just got here though.”

“Just for the weekend?”

“Not this time. I got offered a new job so we’re having a couple of weeks with all our saved-up reward points before we have to move away. And your family?”

“Just us really, also a couple of weeks, we’ve been planning this trip for about a year, we wanted to come before she turned 10, so she’s still charged as a kid.”

“I do agree that’s one of their more stupid rules,” Hugh commented, “but I’m sure you guys will have a magical time. Be sure to tell people in the Parks it’s her first visit, they’ll make it extra-special where they can.”

“You sure know all the tips and tricks,” Paul noted, quickly scanning the playground for Tilly again.

“We follow a YouTube channel called DFBGuide, they have lots of tips. I don’t want to pry too much, but did you know there’s a free dining option with rooms at the moment?”

“Free dining?”

“Yeah, let me show you,” Hugh pulled out his own phone and explained the main points of the free dining plan. From what Paul gathered, he wished he’d known sooner, food at Disney wasn’t cheap.

“Wish I’d known about that before.”

“You can apply it now. Visit the Concierge desk, tell them you noticed there was free dining and ask if you can add it to your stay. I’m 99% sure they’ll allow it. Because it’s free just ask for the biggest one, you might not use all the meals, but you also aren’t losing money on it.” He explained as Paul’s phone received a notification.

“It says our room is ready. Thank you, for everything, maybe we’ll see you around the Parks or the hotel?”

“Maybe, do you have plans for tonight?”

“Not right now, why?”

“Wilderness Lodge, the next resort over has a Sing-Along Campfire with Chip and Dale. Completely free and a great activity for older and younger kids. Starts at 6.”

Paul stood, “we’ll think about that, thank you, again. I might check out that YouTube channel you mentioned, seems we’re coming into this blind.”

“Most people do.” Hugh shrugged, “See you around.”

“See you.” Paul called Tilly over to tell her they could go see their room. “Just one stop first,” he told her, stopping by the desk to add the free dining to their stay, relieved to know they could. Not having to have that budgeted gave him one less thing to worry about.

Paul tipped the person who had brought up their bags and he and Tilly unpacked. Their room was simple, two beds, a small couch and a tv which after some testing had all the Disney channels available, and some on-demand movies. Tilly told him about the little girl she had been playing with. “She and her daddy come here most weekends, she told me lots of secrets and things you can do when you aren’t in the Parks.”

“Really? Anything you like the sound of?”

“There’s a Hidden Mickey Hunt, Drawing Character classes and tonight a Campfire at the next place over. Could we go, please? She said her daddy said it doesn’t cost anything extra.”

“If you’d like to go, we can certainly go, first I think you should have a rest before the excitement tires you out too much, you were up at 4. Why don’t you experiment with the tv while I read up on our free dining?” Tilly nodded excitedly but was out-cold before too long into the movie. Paul pulled his laptop out of his case and looked up the YouTube channel Hugh had told him about, watching a few videos on the Dining Plan.

After a couple of hours, he woke Tilly and they freshened up before heading to put their dining plan to use. He explained to Tilly how it worked with their Magic Bands, wrist bands connected to their rooms that they could scan at a restaurant or quick service location for a meal. They also got a decent amount of snack credits he was sure they would put to use. After eating they returned to their room to pick up a light jacket to combat the evening chill before approaching the front desk asking the best way to get to the Campfire on time.

Paul thought they were very lucky as one of the interconnecting busses was just pulling up outside the hotel, and the person on the desk radioed out to the doorman to ask the bus to wait for them. Thanking the cast member, he and Tilly raced to the bus which was pretty full. “Paul,” Paul turned hearing his voice spotting Hugh. Hugh lifted his daughter out of her seat and onto his lap, making room for Paul and Tilly to sit with them. “You just made it.”

“Thank you. Yeah, we got lucky that the bus was here as we asked how to get there. This is my daughter, Tilly, Tilly, this is Hugh. The dad of the little girl you were playing with earlier.”

“Hi Tilly, this is Lauriel, my daughter, baby, this is Tilly’s dad.” Lauriel was still wearing her Tinkerbell dress from earlier that day. They arrived at their stop relatively quickly and disembarked with the majority of passengers. “Come on, it’s this way,” Hugh told him as Paul looked unsure on where to go, “feel free to stick with us.”

“Thank you,” Paul said quietly, feeling a little out of his depth. Finding the Campfire, they found the Sing-Along theme was Under the Sea and entered the arena. Using their snack credits, they bought s’more kits and took their seats, waiting for it to begin.

Once the event began Tilly and Lauriel took their turns getting photos with the characters and making their s’mores. Some of Lauriel’s dripped onto her dress but Hugh assured her they could get it cleaned before she met the real Tinkerbell in a few days’ time. Overall Paul enjoyed the Campfire experience, probably not to the extent Tilly enjoyed it, but it was an enjoyable experience. He even found he knew most of the songs they were singing.

He returned the to hotel carrying a sleeping Tilly, thanking his earlier self for not booking anything early for their first morning. He and Tilly lived in San Francisco and had never travelled such a distance before. Tilly woke earlier than he had expected, given the three-hour time difference but he figured her excitement would cancel it out for a day or two. Paul had found a deal online allowing them to purchase Park Hopper tickets for the entirety of their stay, meaning they weren’t bound to choosing one Park and sticking to it. They made their first stop the Magic Kingdom, where they had breakfast at Casey’s Corner before exploring and choosing a ride to start their adventure on.

In one of the gift shops they noticed a Penny Press machine. The store sold penny collection albums so Paul let Tilly choose one and let her press the designs onto some pennies. His brother had told him about the penny pressing from when he and his wife had gone before they were married, so Paul had made sure to collect plenty of shiny pennies and plenty of quarters to pay for the machines. He also took Hugh’s advice, letting a cast member at the gate know it was their first ever visit to the Parks. Tilly was allowed to choose a ‘First Visit’ button and was given a lanyard with choice of collectable pin from a movie of her choice. She chose Mulan and received the grandmother pin to start her off. After lunch they took a bus to Epcot, discovering they had arrived during the Food and Wine festival. More pleasantly, Paul remembered from watching videos the night before that they could use their snack credits to pay for the majority of items available, and the portions were generous enough to cover a meal.

Tilly suggested they come back every day to try as many different options as they could for breakfast or lunch. Paul thought it was a great idea as they explored what was on offer before deciding on Brazil for lunch and Belgium for dessert. After eating they explored, searching for character meet and greets.

Before coming Tilly had chosen an autograph book to collect character signatures through the app, it had been waiting on her pillow when they checked into their room. Working through the world showcase they met most characters available, skipping Mickey and Friends for another day, knowing they had plenty of time to meet them and missing out on others as they had a reservation for dinner in another Park and they planned on visiting Epcot most, if not every day for lunch.

Paul found that one of the perks of Tilly being older was they could explore some of the more grown-up style restaurants together in the evenings. He was glad he had listened to his brother and made bookings as soon as they were available. They were headed over to Be Our Guest back in Magic Kingdom, just making their reservation as the park was more crowded then it had been that morning.

Paul decided, as he looked over the menu, that he’d never be able to thank Hugh enough for telling him about the free dining. After their meal they wandered the Park, allowing their dinner to settle before hopping in line for a few rides while they waited for the parades and fireworks that evening. Paul even picked up a few souvenirs for his brother, sister-in-law and parents, asking for them to be delivered to the hotel so he didn’t need to carry them around.

That evening, he carried Tilly back to their room and tucked her in as she slept through the entire ride back to the hotel. The weather for the next day had forecast rain, so he already planned to make it a majority resort day, thinking Tilly could get into one of the drawing classes or do a Hidden Mickey Hunt. He checked the YouTube channel for tips for poor weather and noted down a few suggestions to run by her, should the forecast be accurate come morning.

The forecast was entirely too accurate, but he convinced Tilly to lay-in an extra hour due to the downpour. They ate in the hotel quick-service location and headed to the reception to find out what activities were being held. At the board Tilly spotted Hugh and Lauriel ahead of them. Lauriel was dressed in a Lilo dress, carrying a Stitch backpack. She asked Lauriel what activities were best to do and Lauriel said she was joining the ‘Kidz Club’ for the day. It was a full day of activities reserved for bad weather, characters would visit the hotel, they did the Hidden Mickey Hunt and the drawing class. “Can I sign up too? Please daddy?”

“If there’s spaces you can, let’s see, how do we do this?”

“You can do it through the app,” Hugh piped up helpfully. Bringing out his own phone he showed Paul how to register her, but realised they had 40 minutes to kill before drop-off started.

“Is there anything she needs for the club?”

“If she has a refillable bottle that’s a good idea, other then that, just her Magic Band so they can register her, but I usually pack Lauriel a snack or two.” That was easy, Tilly usually carried her own water-bottle.

“Alright then kiddo, let’s go get your drinks bottle and we’ll swing by the little bakery on the way down and you can choose a couple to take with you.”

Dropping Tilly off he watched her run inside with Lauriel, who had been kindly waiting for her. “So, what do you normally do when she’s here?” Paul asked Hugh, unsure of what he would do with his day.

“Sometimes I do some work, this morning, I’m thinking coffee, join me?”

Paul smiled, thankful, “I’d like that.” After a little convincing to get Paul to come offsite, Hugh drove them a short Distance to Disney Springs. “You’re sure they’ll be OK?” Paul asked for the sixth time.

“I’m positive,” Hugh replied, equally as calm and reassuring as the first time, “believe me, they’re in excellent hands. Here, take this,” he handed Paul a thin plastic raincoat. “Let’s go.” They hurried from the car, Paul following close to Hugh into a Starbucks. Over coffee, the two dads got to know each other. “So where are you guys from?”

“We live in San Francisco, what?”

“No, it’s nothing, OK, I don’t think you’ll believe this but we’re actually moving there after our trip here. I got offered a job in the big main hospital there.”

“Hospital? So you’re a Dr?”

“I am, how about you?”

“I’m a scientist, I research Mycology.”

“Mycology, that’s mushrooms, right?”

“And other fungi. I can’t believe you’re moving across the country, is it just the two of you, or?”

“Yeah, it’s just us, I wasn’t actually going to accept, but my mother said if I didn’t, she’d never speak to me again. I was actually going to move there years ago before I had Lauriel in my life, but life happens.”

“Do you regret not going sooner?”

“No, if I did, I wouldn’t have her in my life. I should clear up, I took her in after her mother passed away. She was a close friend of mine for years and I promised her I’d look after Lauriel after her cancer diagnosis.”

“That’s incredibly good of you. How long since you adopted her?”

“Signed the papers the first day of our trip. But she’s been living with me for about six years now, but Social said I couldn’t move across country with her unless I adopted her. It wasn’t even something I had to think about. I took her in when she was 2, she and her mother were practically family anyway and with all the arrangements, adoption didn’t really cross any of our minds. What about you, how’d you come to have Tilly in your life?”

“Through a surrogate. About 10 years ago I got to the point in my life where a lot of my friends were getting married and having children, and these were the ones who waited until their late 20s. I’ve had a few partners, but never felt at that point with them. I think it was when I saw my best friend and research partner Justin holding his daughter for the first time, that’s when I knew I wanted someone more permanent in my life. I’d just come out of a long relationship, I didn’t want that, I wanted a kid and here we are. She’s my world.”

“That’s really sweet Paul,” Hugh’s hand fidgeted, he wanted to reach over to Paul, but he held back, allowing his eyes to dart out of the window, “looks like we’ve got our first break in the rain, shall we explore a little while we can?”

“The kids will be OK?”

Hugh smiled, “the kids will be more than OK,” he assured.

Paul and Hugh spent the rainy periods dodging in and out of close together stores and the clearer ones making the run between the larger distances, choosing to have their lunch out before making the return journey to the hotel. The kids’ lunches were accounted for when they signed in with their Magic Bands. Once back, Hugh excused himself to take care of a few emails, advising Paul he should take advantage and explore the resort as the heavens opened once again. Unsure of his options, Paul asked at the front desk what was available in their resort, deciding to check on Tilly before hopping over to the Signature Restaurant where they had a food and wine tasting happening in 25 minutes.

Paul reunited with an excited Tilly a few hours later when the club was over and the weather was clearing up. “Hey kiddo, d’you have fun?”

“It was amazing! I found all the Hidden Mickeys, and in the art lesson I painted Stitch, I can’t bring it with us now because it’s still wet, but the lady teaching it said it was really good.”

“That’s awesome Tilly. So, it’s stopped raining, how about we check the app, see if there are any last-minute dinner reservations open?” Tilly nodded eagerly. “Alright, let’s go clean up first though.” After freshening up they checked the app to see if they could find any last-minute dining. Due to the weather it seemed a fair few had freed up, including the one Tilly had wanted most but had not been available prior to their trip, an Evening with Villains.

Hugh and Lauriel were on the bus to the same Park as them, but had reservations elsewhere, but Lauriel told them they were staying for the fireworks and parade, which Tilly also wanted to see, so they agreed to meet up afterwards. They were heading to Cinderella’s royal table, Lauriel had on an outfit similar to Cinderella’s rag look and Hugh explained his outfit was meant to resemble one of her mice friends. “If you’re over 14 you’re not allowed to dress up, but you can look similar, it’s called Disney Bounding,” he explained to Paul as they stood in line at the Park entrance. “Lauriel likes to dress up, so I try to match what I’m wearing to her costumes.” Hugh gave Paul his number so they could message when they were ready to meet-up and they went their separate ways.

Tilly loved meeting all the villain characters at their meal, the villains were the hardest characters to find around the normal meet and greet spots, so he was glad this reservation was freed up. She had changed into one of her own costumes for the evening, her Alice in Wonderland dress, which looked great next to the Queen of Hearts when she came around to their table. After dinner Paul messaged Hugh and they agreed on a time and place to meet. The parade didn’t start for a little while, so they explored some of the indoor attractions.

After the parade and fireworks Hugh suggested they hang around a little while, “if we go now we’ll be waiting maybe an hour for the bus, we’re allowed to spend the time in the Park.” They managed to get on a few more rides before they closed and managed to catch a bus with less other guests. While the girls went on a few rides together, Paul and Hugh had been left alone together. On the way back, the girls shared one set of seats, talking and fighting sleep as they neared the resort, Paul and Hugh sat behind them, speaking quietly about their plans for the rest of their vacations, planning more time together, with and without the girls.

“You trust the babysitting service?”

“Of course, it’s perfectly safe.”

“I’ll run it by her sometime over the next few days, I don’t think either of them are up to chatting tonight,” Paul chuckled, nodding forward at the girls, sleeping, leaning against each other.

Hugh chuckled, sliding out of the seat as they pulled up to the resort, “that’s very true,” he lifted Lauriel into his arms and moved aside to let Paul get Tilly before leading the way off the bus. In their room Hugh changed Lauriel into her pjs and laid her in her bed.

“Daddy?” She whispered sleepily.

“Yes baby-girl?”

“I like Tilly, she’s fun, can we see her and her daddy again while we’re here?”

“Of course we can,” Hugh smiled, brushing her hair from her face and pulling the covers over her. “Goodnight,” he said softly.

“Goodnight,” she replied through a yawn, rolling over and wrapping her arm around her Tinkerbell plush.

Over the next few days, the pairs didn’t see too much of each other as they carried out their plans. Hugh and Paul had shared their planned schedules and nothing matched up until a few evenings later when they had booked onto the same character meal with the Sensational Six [Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy and Pluto]. They switched their reservations from two pairs to a group of four and met in the hotel for a few hours at the pool before going to get ready. “I think I’ll wear my purple Daisy dress,” Lauriel said as they entered the elevator. “Do you have anymore costumes Tilly?” She asked.

“I think I’ve worn all mine,” Tilly shrugged. Lauriel stepped up to her and using her hand deduced Tilly was slightly taller than her.

“You could borrow one of mine, I have a Minnie dress my Abuela made, but it’s still a little long on me, but it might fit you.”

“Are you sure?” Tilly asked, shyly.

“I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t sure. Is that OK dad?” Lauriel asked, looking up at Hugh.

“You’re very welcome to wear it Tilly,” he confirmed. Tilly looked to her dad to check before accepting. They went to Hugh and Lauriel’s room to get the dress, and Lauriel picked out her Minnie accessories for Tilly to borrow. “The shoes might be the wrong size,” Hugh noted getting them out to show her.

“It’s OK, I have some yellow ones. Thank you for letting me borrow it,” she said, hugging Lauriel.

Knowing Hugh would be Disney Bounding as Donald Paul did a quick google search for ideas to look like Mickey, pleased to discover he had things that would work. He pulled out red pants, a black t-shirt and a white belt, as well as a pair of ears they had bought earlier in the trip. The dress fit Tilly very well and she paired it with a pair of yellow slip on shoes. They met in the lobby where they took pictures together.

“Nice Mickey,” Hugh told Paul as they boarded the bus.

“Thanks, cool Donald,” he returned, Hugh was wearing a sailor style shirt, with a matching hat and a pair of white jeans.

After the meal they returned to the hotel for the firework show, Hugh and Paul chatting and making plans to go to dinner the next evening, just the two of them.

The next morning, after a late start Lauriel and Hugh decided on their outfits. Today they were on a Princess Hunt, so she based her outfit more on a Disney Bound than an actual costume, using colour schemes from Disney Princess Sidekicks. Hugh was in yellow and blue, for Flounder from the Little Mermaid and Lauriel had on red, for Mushu from Mulan. Their passes allowed Park hopping and they were determined to see all of the princesses. They began in Epcot, making their way around the World Showcase where they found Snow White in Germany, Mulan in China, Anna and Elsa in Norway, Belle and Aurora in France, Ariel – who didn’t have a permanent spot was spotted between France and Morocco where they saw Jasmine.

They remained in Epcot for lunch from the festival, before venturing across to another park to search for more princesses. Over lunch Hugh asked if Lauriel would be alright if he had a grown-up dinner with Tilly’s dad while they hung out with the evening club. She didn’t give it a second thought before saying she wouldn’t mind. She liked hanging out with Tilly, Lauriel always struggled to make friends due to being bilingual, when she was younger she had gotten words mixed up a lot so other children sometimes found it hard to understand what she was saying. Hugh never regretted raising her bilingual, her mother had been from Mexico, and had had Lauriel after moving to Florida. He didn’t want losing her mother to be losing her heritage. His own mother was the daughter of a Mexican migrant and he was proud of that heritage, though after years out of practise it had been a learning curve for him as well. 

After their successful Princess Hunt they returned to the hotel, where they met up with Paul and Tilly for a pool afternoon. They ran through the splash zone and swam in the pool. Finding a quiet corner Paul told him Tilly was OK with them going to dinner. “Lauriel too. Anywhere you’d like to go?”

“You’re the expert, surprise me.”

“I think I can work with that.”

After showering Hugh checked the app for any last-minute reservations and booked Lauriel into the club for the evening. He was pleased to find a reservation at Sanna, one of his favourite places to eat with other adults in Disney. Lauriel gathered her things for the club, including Tinkerbell, and facetimed her Abuela while Hugh decided what to wear. Hugh’s mother had been the one to insist he not pass up the opportunity to move and work in San Francisco, and while he really wanted to, he was still unsure of leaving her when his sister lived out of state. She adored Lauriel and had adored her mother, she was the person responsible for all of Lauriel’s costumes, he’d only ever bought her a couple before his mother began downloading patterns from the internet and making them herself – as well as a few of Hugh’s accessories. “Abuela wants to talk to you,” Lauriel said, appearing at his side and drawing him out of his daze.

“Thank you baby,” Hugh spoke to his mother, casually running a few shirts by her as they spoke.

_“This man must be special.”_

“What? Mom, no, he’s another dad I met and I’m getting on with really well. Lauriel is friends with his daughter,” she smiled at his stumbled answer, Hugh sighed, “he’s a nice guy and he’s from the exact area we’re moving to, it’s not a date, we’re just… Seeing what happens.”

With his mom sated with the information they said farewell so he could finish getting ready.

On a different floor, Tilly was braiding her hair with the aid of a YouTube tutorial while Paul got ready to go out. “You’re sure you’re OK with me going out?”

“Yes, why wouldn’t I? I had lots of fun last time at the club.” He didn’t know why he was fretting, Tilly would be in perfectly good hands. “Are you OK daddy?”

Paul sighed, sitting on the edge of his bed he tapped the spot beside him. “I’m OK honey, I guess daddy’s just nervous.”

“What for?”

“Well I like Mr Culber,” he said, gaging her reaction, Tilly knew he wasn’t like the other dads at school in that he didn’t want a wife and he was attracted to men rather than women, “I just want tonight to go well. After their vacation, he and Lauriel are moving to a neighbourhood near ours.”

“So I could see Lauriel after our vacation? That’s so cool!”

“I guess it is.”

“Daddy, can I say something you say to me a lot?”

“Go for it.”

“If he really likes you, he’ll like you for who you are. Relax and have fun.” She told him, repeating more or less what he would tell her when she tried to make new friends. Finding friends didn’t come easily to Tilly, so he had been pleased when she and Lauriel took to each other so quickly. Back home Tilly had one person she was really close to, her friend Michael.

“Thanks kiddo.” Putting his arm around her shoulders he hugged her tight, “hurry up and get ready, nearly time to go,” he said checking his phone.

Paul dropped Tilly off, wearing her fluffy Minnie Mouse pjs and waited in the lobby for Hugh, who arrived a few moments later. Paul, after some input from Tilly had gone with a light blue sweater with some smart pants, Hugh was dressed in smart pants also, but had paired them with a white tee and a jacket.

They waited for their ride quietly, neither knowing what to say at that moment. “This is silly, we’ve been chatting every day.” Paul eventually said.

“It is a little strange,” Hugh conceded, “if you’re up for it, I think I know what to do to cut the tension. May I?”

“Please, anything you think might help.” Paul agreed turning to face Hugh. Hugh’s hand came up to his shoulder, brushed up to cup the back of his neck and pull Paul into him. Their lips met and for a brief moment, Hugh worried he’d made a mistake, until he felt Paul’s hands sliding up his arms and start kissing him back.

“Better?” Hugh asked softly as their lips parted.

“So much better,” Paul said, dipping his head for a second taste.

They parted when they heard others approaching the bus stop, smiling at each other as Hugh gave his hand a squeeze.

Three Years Later…

The bedroom door drifted open silently and two small feet tiptoed towards the bed where the lone resident was sleeping. Preparing the object in her hand Tilly pulled the string tight and let the party popper explode over her sleeping father. “Wake up daddy, wake up, it’s today!” She called out, climbing onto the bed and shaking her dad awake. Tilly, now 12, sat back on her heels as Paul pushed himself up to sit, rubbing his eyes.

“Alright, I’m up, I’m up,” he said, hearing a second pair of feet entering the room.

“Good, Tilly, settle in for breakfast,” Paul’s mother said, she was carrying a tray piled high with Mickey shaped pancakes and various fruits and syrups. His mother sat in the chair by the small table to eat while Tilly slipped her legs under the covers to sit beside Paul.

“Are you excited?” Paul asked Tilly.

“Me? Am I excited? Are you?”

“Ask me again after my coffee,” Paul chuckled.

After breakfast Paul’s mother shooed Tilly away to let Paul start getting ready.

Tilly ran down the hall and knocked on the door to the suite she was sharing with her grandma, Lauriel and Lauriel’s Abuela who was working on Lauriel’s hair. Tilly sat at the vanity beside Lauriel and began running the brush through her own, long red hair as her grandma joined her and began replicating the design to go with her princess dress, designed and created by Lauriel’s Abuela. Soon it was time to get dressed and to go downstairs.

Hugh took a deep breath as the car bringing him to the World Showcase pulled up outside a tent. Thanking his driver he climbed out, entering the tent with his clothes. His sister was already waiting inside for him, ready to help him. They shared a hug and she whispered to him to “calm down, I can feel your pulse racing.”

“I’m allowed to be excited today, it’s my wedding.”

“Not if your heart beats so hard it breaks out of your ribcage it won’t be. Come on, put the cape on, let me see the finished look,” she told him.

He and Paul had decided early on they wanted to return to the Parks to get married, it was where they met, and Disney was still a large part of their lives. They decided to go with the theme and everything had run on from there. They had been given special permission to wear Prince Costumes for the ceremony, as long as after their photos, they changed into something less of a costume, a compromise they were happy to make. Hugh was dressed as Prince Philip, from Sleeping Beauty, red cape and all. His sister clipped it into place as the curtain opened and his mother and Lauriel arrived. Lauriel was wearing an Aurora inspired dress, made by his mother and she looked beautiful. “Daddy you look amazing!” She told him.

“So do you, mom, you really out-did yourself on this one, she looks amazing.”

Somewhere close by, in another tent, Paul’s brother was adding the finishing touches to Paul’s Prince Eric look. “Paul, stop fussing and let me fasten it.”

“Sorry, I don’t think I’ve been this nervous since I got the call from the hospital, telling me Tilly’s birth mother was in labour.”

“Understandable, you remember me before my wedding, right?”

“How could I forget?” Paul rolled his eyes. Before Paul could ponder any further the tent opened and Tilly and his mother entered, carrying his nephew. Tilly’s dress was inspired by Ariel’s pink dress and also made by Hugh’s mother. “Oh Tilly, look at you, you look beautiful sweetie.”

“Thanks dad,” Tilly smiled, “you look great too.”

“And look at this handsome little devil,” Paul said taking his nephew from his mother. The small boy, aptly named, was dressed as Peter Pan and would be carrying the rings down the aisle, with his twin sister dressed as Tinkerbell. “Where’s Alice?” He asked.

“She had to go potty,” his mother filled in.

“She loves the bells in her hair,” Tilly added with a grin. “And I think she’s excited to be throwing the ‘pixie dust’.”

The clock ticked down, closer to the start. It was a small ceremony, close friends and family only. Tilly and Lauriel walked first, each escorting Alice, dancing and throwing pixie dust as the bells in her hair jingled and Peter, her brother, carrying the pillow as carefully as he could. Hugh, as the Disney veteran walked first with his mother meeting Mark Paul’s brother who was officiating at the front. Paul followed with his mother, both men were amazed, having not seen each other’s outfits before.

The ceremony was short and they recited their own vows.

After the ceremony, Mickey in his Celebration suit turned up, as well as characters the children were dressed as for photos. The photographer took plenty of photos, each family, father and daughter, whole wedding party, and individual photos.

As agreed, Hugh and Paul changed out of their costumes and into Disney Bound interpretations of their outfits for the rest of the reception. The main reception was held in Sanna, where they had had their first date.

Hugh and Paul had one more surprise up their sleeves for their daughters though. When it was time to make the speeches, they each ‘proposed’ to the other’s daughter with adoption papers, ready to be signed, if the girls wanted it. Both of them agreed without hesitation, the four were such a huge part of each other’s lives, they were practically family already. A registrar had been brought in specially for the occasion and witnessed the signing of the documents and invited each father to dance with his new daughter.


End file.
